Allied Warships

USS Allentown (PF-52)

Frigate of the Tacoma class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeFrigate
ClassTacoma 
PennantPF-52 
Built byFroemming Brothers Inc. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.) 
Ordered8 Dec 1942 
Laid down23 Mar 1943 
Launched3 Jul 1943 
Commissioned24 Mar 1944 
End service12 Jul 1945 
History

Decommissioned 12 July 1945 at Cold Harbor, Alaska.
Transferred to the USSR the next day.
Returned to the U.S.N. 15 October 1949.
Transferred to Japan 2 April 1953.

 

Commands listed for USS Allentown (PF-52)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Garland Weldonne Collins, USCG24 Mar 1944

You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.

Notable events involving Allentown include:


14 Feb 1945

Convoy GI 11.

This convoy departed Humboldt Bay (Hollandia) around 1600I/14.

It was made up of the transports; Clan Lamont (British, 7250 GRT, built 1939), John Lind (American, 7176 GRT, built 1943), Moses Rogers (American, 7181 GRT, built 1942), Ralph A. Cram (American, 7207 GRT, built 1943), Sea Corporal (American, 8040 GRT, built 1944), Simon Bolivar (American, 7176 GRT, built 1943) and Swartenhondt (Dutch, 5084 GRT, built 1924).

The tankers; Bandelier (American, 10448 GRT, built 1944), E.H. Blum (American, 11638 GRT, built 1941), Joshua Tree (American, 10448 GRT, built 1945) and Pennsylvania Sun (American, 11394 GRT, built 1938).

Small Army cargo ships; FS-175 (American, 573 GRT, built 1944), FS-179 (American, 573 GRT, built 1944), FS-193 (American, 573 GRT, built 1944), FS-258 (American, 560 GRT, built 1944), FS-317 (American, 560 GRT, built 1944) and FS-361 (American, 560 GRT, built 1944).

The following Navy ships were also part of the convoy; destroyer tender USS Dobbin (T/Capt. S.Y. Cutler, USN), attack transport USS Banner (6010 GRT, built 1944) (Lt.Cdr. J.R. Pace, USNR), attack cargo USS Torrance (8172 GRT, built 1944) (Lt.Cdr. G.A. Euerle, USNR), stores ship USS Acubens (7176 GRT, built 1944) (Cdr. E.B. Ellis, USNR) and landing ship LCI(L)-608 (Lt.(jg) D.S. Bays, USNR).

The convoy was escorted by the frigates USS Allentown (Lt.Cdr. E.G. Cardwell, USCG), USS Charlottesville (Lt.Cdr. B.D. Shoemaker, Jr., USCGR), USS Sandusky (Lt.Cdr. T.R. Sargent, 3rd., USCG) and the destroyer escorts USS Pratt (Cdr. R.H. Wanless, USNR) and USS Rombach (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Gill, USN).

At 2000I/15, the Biak section of the convoy departed that place.

It was made up of the transports; Elco Victory (American, 7607 GRT, built 1944) and Robert W. Bingham (American, 7176 GRT, built 1944).

Also part of the Biak section were the Small Army cargo ships; FS-196 (American, 573 GRT, built 1944) and FS-253 (American, 560 GRT, built 1944).

They were escorted by the destroyer HMAS Vendetta (Lt. M. Germaine, RANVR, temporary in command)

Around 0100I/16, USS Charlottesville parted company with the main body of the convoy to take over the escort of the Biak section from HMAS Vendetta which she did around 0230I/16. USS Charlottesville rejoined the main body of the convoy with the Biak section around 1245I/16.

The convoy arrived at San Pedro Bay (Leyte) around 1730I/20.


Return to the Allied Warships section